Want
by LimitedEternity
Summary: Zara has faced many terrible truths. It is still undecided if she wanted or needed to know some of them. What happens when something becomes so all consuming, so important that you're not sure if you want it or need it? What if Zara is one of them? *This story has been discontinued*
1. Chapter 1

Want

A Need Fanfic

**A/N: ****There will be spoilers if you haven't read Captivated.**** This is the first fan fiction I have ever written and the story is going to go fast. I'll only update if at least one person wants to know what happens. I don't care if I write the whole story only one person cares. Just knowing someone likes it is enough to make me happy. I'm still trying to figure out the best writing style, and I'm very much open to ideas. Also, I have trouble getting the spacing correct.**

**Disclaimer: The characters (unless they're OC's) and all rights pertaining to the Need series belong to Carrie Jones and any other respective owners. **

**P.S. This story will not have a happy ending.**

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Pixies. They're everywhere. In your schools, parks… sometimes they even find a way into your homes, hidden behind too deep eyes and poisonous smiles. Some people might think that I'm at an advantage because I know they're there. But in a plane crash, people know that the ground or water is there, that's it's dangerous. But what good does it do them? Give them time to accept the inevitable? Sometimes I wonder if it would have been better to be ignorant of what was happening. To just have your world yanked out from underneath you, rather than being able to watch everything you had ever known slowly crumble away, knowing that there wasn't a single thing you could do about it.

**CHPT 1**

With a masculine yawn and a stretch I groggily open my eyes. My sleep drugged brain manages to notice several things at once. There's way too much weak Maine sunlight in my room, my alarm clock reads 10:00 am, and I feel like I have morning breath. Ew. I jackknife into a sitting position and give a little shriek. Footsteps thunder up the stairs and Gran bursts into my room, looking wild and ready for a fight.

"What? What is it?" Her eyes dart around the room before settling on me. "Are there pixies outside?" I lunge at her and grab a fistful of her practical flannel shirt.

"Why didn't you wake me up?!"

Her tense face relaxes into confusion, smoothing away the extra wrinkles her worry had brought with it.

"What for?"

"What for?!" I screech making her shrink away, from my morning breathe I assume. "I'm late for school! Omg why isn't my backpack together?" I let go of her shirt so I can properly freak out. "I'll get in so muc trouble! I'll get chewed out by Mrs. Nix who will tell me she can't constantly bend the rules, I'll-"

"Mpph"

I froze mid mental rant at the terribly offensive sound.

"Mpph, hahaha!" Gran laughed. So many retorts ran through my head for this, but I choose to be civil and went for a classic.

"What. Are. You. Laughing. At?"

"You! Honey, it's the first day of spring break remember?" My eyes widen as this crucial info comes rushing back to me. Opps. Betty glances at me amused.

"Why don't you come down from breakfast? I figured you could use a good home cooked meal to fortify you for the day. You couldn't have forgotten that it's your turn to feed the pixies right?"

Pixies. Right. Crap I hate this.

"No…."

"Good, so get dressed and come down so we can eat together for once." She turned and clomped out of the room.

"Ugh" I flopped back on to the bed and stared at the ceiling. Pixies. I hate feeding the pixies. Whenever I come, all I hear is those metal teeth gnashing together, whispering 'Zara free us, Princess save us'. Every now and then I'll hear a pixie screaming. Over and over. Their need has gotten so great that they're using each other to satisfy it. And every time I see my father's haunted silver eyes, I always wonder which one of us is truly a monster, and have I condemned them to a fate worse than death. I suddenly sit up and hop off of my bed. There's no time to dwell on that. At least I can say I'm not starving them to death. I grab a black and white hoodie, some skinny jeans, flats, and I hop in and out of the shower. I'm short on time, so I just throw my hair into a ponytail, get dressed and sprint down the stairs.

"Hey Betty!" I call as I hit the last step. Silence. "Betty?" I cautiously step into the kitchen and spy a note pinned to the fridge.

"Sorry hon, I got called in. Again. There was a nasty accident over by the bank. They think someone might have a broken collar bone. I made your breakfast, it's in the oven to keep warm."

-Gram

P.S. Don't forget to pick up food for the pixies.

"Thanks Gram." I mutter "Thanks a lot" Immediately after I feel bad. Its not her fault she had to leave. That poor person with the broken collar bone was the one who really need her. I just wanted her company. I walked over to the oven and carefully slid my plate out. Oh waffle and eggs. I quickly downed at the kitchen table and began to write a list of groceries for the pixies. Bread, fruit, vegetables, meat… hey what the heck, some vegetable seeds, they can grow their own darn food. There. That wasn't so bad. All I have to do is buy it, chuck it over and wire and be done with it. I think I can do this. No, I know I can do this. Its like feeding vicious animals, so long as you don't stick your hand out over the fence, you'll be fine. Right.

I stuck my plate into the dish washer and stumbled out the door. As I hopped down the steps, I noticed how lonely Yoko looked without Nick's Mini Cooper next to her. Poor thing. I walked over and patted her hood.

"Don't worry Yoko, I wish they were here too. At least we have each other."

I walked around to the drivers side and climbed inside. Zooming down the street, (Yes zooming, the nice thing about being in this little town is that you don't have a ton of cops) I thought back to my father. The Pixie King. Why couldn't I be part were? Why pixie? Why part _monster_? Handling Yoko like a pro, I pulled into the grocery store parking lot, parking kinda far from the entrance. I could use the exercise. Why me? Why my mom? Why… ohhhh why did I feel tingly? The feeling swooped through me sucking away the air around me. My lips parted as my breathe left me in a whoosh then it was gone. Unnerved I clutched my steering wheel and looked around nervously. Had my father escaped? Was he here? I sprinted out the car towards the grocery store, afraid and unwilling to be alone. Just as I was about 10 feet from the front door, the feeling washed over me like a tsunami. I fell to the ground dry heaving. The feeling had never been this intense before. I slowly stood up. Everything was shaking, even the ground. Or was it me that was shaking like that? One arm wrapped around my stomach I reached up to smooth away my hair and I stopped horrified. Blue. My hands were _blue._

Turning them over I stared at them with a morbid curiosity. Scratch. Take it off. Make it go away. Eremophobia, fear of who you are. Nails were clawing at my skin, frantically trying to make it disappear. "No." A voice sounded from somewhere. "NononoNO!" Suddenly two strong confidant hands were on my person, one around my waist the other fixing my hair., their touch sending the spidery feeling searing through me. They were steering me to the back of the grocery store and I was too fixated with my blueness and the spidery feeling to resist.

"Are you okay miss?" an alluring voice questioned. He stills my clawing hands with only one of his own. "You mustn't fret about little things like this." I looked up at his nonchalant dismissal of my skin and my eyes widened. His image was flickering like he was going in and out of focus. Squinting I tried to steady his appearance until he gave a deep chuckle. "Here I'll make it easier for you."

I stop walking. My mouth drops open.

"See?" he grinned down at me. Total shock. "We all feel a little blue sometimes princess." Azure skin. Sliver eyes. Cruel sharpened teeth. Medium length dark hair. Pixie. My legs give out from underneath me and the world begins to sway again. The only thing keeping me up is his possessive hold around my waist.

"So princesses." he drawls as he looks around to make sure were alone. "Do you want to tell me where your father is?"

His dull sliver eyes set into the blue face drill into me, reminding me that he's no human. That he can't be trusted. But am I even human? I just don't know, nothing makes sense any more.

"Why do you want to know?" I ask, dodging his question by launching one of my own.

"Because. Knowing will get me his pixies. His territory." His eyes become intense like a metallic flame. He leans down to my ear, his breath fanning across my face and neck. "His lovely daughter…" I weakly attempt to push him away, the prickly feeling making me feel off balance.

"No."

He leans away smiling like I was actually able to push him off of me. Everything is in his favor. He's a pixie, maybe even a king. I human(I think), weaker than usual, scared and alone. He's just toying with me, humoring me by bending to my will. I hate it. I want to be strong. 'You'd be strong as a pixie.' a deceitful though worms its way in. No. I'll never give in. Never be a monster for power. I focus on him again, taking in every detail. He's really handsome. Nick handsome, even with the inhuman features. But that doesn't change what he is.

"I won't tell you where he is. As bad as my father is, I won't let you hurt him."

He runs a finger across my cheek, drawing a thin line of blood. I flinch when he licks my blood off of his finger tips, watching carefully for my reaction. Toying with me again. Hunting.

"Are you sure Zara?' He draws out my name, a predatory smile creeping onto his face. "This is a dangerous game you're playing." He purrs. Pixiephobia, fear of pixies. Scotophobia, fear of darkness. Terarophobia, fear of monsters like him."

"Never"

His smile dims and he sighs. "Fine. I'll let you win this time but," He pulls me close and puts his face in the crook of my neck. "Don't think you'll get away though. I'll come back for you and your damn werewolf." I stop panicking and stiffen. "As soon as I get rid of the other kings I'll come back." Kings? He makes it sound like there's multiples. But these thoughts are scrambled in a moment. He kisses my neck and lets me go. I stagger away panting and whispering. "You! You kissed me! Oh this can't be happening. This can't be…"

"Relax love. The kiss has to be on the lips." He lifts his arms to the sky. "Value your time with your wolf, his death grows near." He turns and smiles maliciously at me. "I'll rip out his organs with my bare hands" Then he sprang into the air and was gone.

I slowly sank to the ground, my hand clamped around my neck. Nick. He threatened Nick. Me. My humanity. I slowly removed my hands so I could stare at them again. I felt like every was spinning out of control, just as we were getting a handle on things. I was so weak. My hands were turning back to normal, but I was too far away to notice. I don't know how long I was behind the grocery store, but I was certain of 2 things. 1 I had to find Nick. 2, I had to crush that pixie. Crush him like he wanted to crush me. He was a threat to all everything that was important to me. And I was going to make sure that no one was ever going to hurt me again. Ever. Asthenophobia. Fear of weakness.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A/N: Wow she likes the word on doesn't she? XD Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow, this it took me a while to update but I finally got around to it. I hope I did a good job with this chapter, I was having trouble writing it. If you have any ideas for the story let me know!**

**EDIT: Good lord! I'm looking at this and it has so many grammer errors and cut of words and... lots of ands! I'm fixing this!**

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I gasped for air, crouched on the ground and I tried to steady my spinning world. I was afraid to stand up. What if my legs wouldn't support me? What if he was lying (which was very possible) and I was turning pixie? As I slowly stood taking my chances with collapsing I found my skin had turned back to normal.

"What in the world…?" I said fanning my hands out in front of my face. Looking at them now you never would have guessed that I looked like I fell into a vat of food dye just a few minutes ago. I stood staring at again for a few more seconds, but dropped them as I focused on my current objective. Find Nick. Feeling like Rose from "Vampire Academy" I crept along the side of the grocery store, hoping my spidery feelings would warn me of any pixies coming my way. Or at least warn me about any kings.

'Where are ninja skills when you need them?' I grumbled, trying to take my mind off of what happened. I let out a sigh of relief as I emerged from the side of the building. I really doubted that the pixies would blow their cover and attack me in such a public place. At least that's what I hoped. Wow, I'm making myself afraid all over again. I ran for my Yoko without hesitation. I just couldn't deal with seeing more pixies; an extra day without food won't kill them. When I reached the car I leapt in and attempted to start it. The key kept missing the ignition. What the heck? Is this some kind of pixies spell? Oh no, it's just my hands shaking. They seem to be doing a lot of that lately. After a few more failed endeavors, I gave up and groped around the glove compartment for my phone. I should probably call Nick to take me home, I wasn't thinking very clearly at the moment. I finally found my cell and had flipped it open when I hesitated. I would tell him about the pixie and then what? He's not superman. If I tell him all the things the pixie said he might go on a hunt that could very well be his last. That pixie radiated with power, it rolled off of him in waves. I can't send Nick to his death like that. So when I dialed Nick's number I decided to tone things down a bit.

"Hello? Nick?"

"Hey baby! What's up?"

I smile despite what just happened. Nick is my rock, my sun, and just makes me feel better. I'm just so happy we're together.

"Um Nick, can you come drive me home? I've been tinked and have some really important things to tell you."

"Of course!" he said without a pause. "Where are you?"

"In the grocery store parking lot."

"All right. See you soon Zara." and the line went dead.

"Bye Nick." I said softly into the silent phone.

Satisfied that I had gotten a hold of Nick, I took a deep breath, and settled into my seat. There. He'd be here soon. I could explain the situation and Devyn, Nick, Issie, Betty and I could hunt down the pixie and… what? Kill him? There's no way we could stick him in the house with dad. It seemed like he'd somehow manage to kill them all and then wait for a chance to escape.

"No" I shuddered "That won't work. I can't condone death like that." Well, 5 heads are better than 1. Maybe the others would have an idea.

I patiently waited for Nick in the car. And waited. And waited. And waited. Seconds turned to minutes and minutes to… well, not quite hours, I'm not crazy enough to sit in my car for that long, but I was there for a while. I started to worry. What if the pixie guy found Nick already and caught him off guard because I didn't warn him? What if they were fighting? I pulled out my phone to again to call Nick and paused. Veritaphobia. Fear of telling the truth. Then what is the fear of knowing the truth? It doesn't matter though, because whoever said ignorance is bliss clearly didn't know what they were talking about. I had to at least try to get a hold of him. I dialed his number but this time his phone didn't even ring.

"Hey its Nick, just leave a message. Unless you're Zara, then you're more than welcome to come find me and leave more than a message" *Beep*

I press end and slowly took the phone from my ear and looked at it dejectedly. Oh Nick. What on Earth is holding you up? Suddenly a rapping on my car window broke through my gloom and practically sent me through the roof. I whirled around and shrieked at the unknown teenage boy currently looking mortified at my reaction.

"Oh Gods I am so sorry!" His voice was muffled by the glass between us and the sound of my hyperventilating. Catching my breath I let the window down a crack so I could hear him better.

"I saw you just sitting out here for the longest and thought you might need some help." He flashed a charming smile and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Is there anything I can assist you with?"

Silent, I carefully but quickly examined the boy in front of me. Tall, kinda hot, blond, with these stunning green eyes and an accent I can't quite place. Scottish maybe? No… Irish. Yeah that's it. He has a green sweater, so common here in Maine, and some jeans. He seems nice enough.

'But' I recalled thinking back to the beginning of this year, 'Ian seemed nice enough as well.' And with these thoughts any grain of trust is quickly washed away. I feel my face shut down as I coolly respond.

"No no… I'm fine. Just waiting for someone to pick me up, that's all." Something just doesn't feel right. As more time passes I feel the hair on my neck stand up and my skin crawls with, what I thought, was apprehension. Why do I feel so… odd? Not unsafe just weird. He leans forward a bit, his emerald eyes dancing.

"Are you sure? I know someone that could-" Suddenly freezes and his words stop abruptly.

He whips around and sniffs the air behind him looking almost feral as he does it. I hear him mumble. "I can't… not right now." before turning around, a strained look on his formerly cocky face.

"Um, well, if you're sure then I better get going." he begins to retreat and I notice that his right hand is hovering over his stomach and if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was protecting an injury. Why? Why the sudden change in attitude?

"I'll just have to seen you later then, we'll run into each other sooner or later Zara." And with that he turned on his heel and trotted away into the forest surrounding the parking lot.

"Wait!" I call out furiously trying to crank down the window, "What's- wait a minute" I struggle as the window gets stuck and he gets further away. Crap. Finally I get it down all the way and shout after him. "What's your…" I trail off as I lose sight of the blond boy "name…" I sigh as I lean away from the window. That was random. What was with the sniffing? And how did he know my name? Cautiously I glanced around to make sure I was alone. I then stuck my head out of my window, turned up my nose, and began to sniff. I felt silly and self conscious. I think that catagelophobia, the fear of being riticuled, is very applicable in this situation. I inhaled to see if I could smell what he did one last time and began to open my eyes once I was through making a fool of myself. I lazily open my eyes and find myself staring into deep brown ones.

"Are you sure there's not a little were in there somewhere?" Nick teased from about 2 inches in front of my now very red face. Where did he get here? And furthermore, how could a guy so big be so quiet?

"I, well, um" I fumble as I attempt to draw back into my car like a turtle into its shell. I felt so stupid. But he didn't laugh at me. He instead yanked open my car door, pulled my out, and smothered me in a huge, woodsy/guy smelling hug. I wrapped my arms around sighing happily into his shirt.

"Man Zara" He whispers into my hair "I…" he pauses as suddenly his hold on me tightens. I can feel his chest expand as he starts to deeply inhale and all of a sudden he gently pushes me away with a confused look on his face. "What's that smell?" his nose scrunches up and I stiffen. Pixie. Oh no, he can smell the pixie on me. I'll never forget how he responded when he found out who my father was. How would react if he knew I didn't tell him everything over the phone? Like my time as a temporary smurf? A gentle breeze blows past us and he closes his eyes as he inhales again. I fidget waiting for him to identify the foreign smell. Suddenly his eyes snap open and I see them quivering, struggling to stay human, but slowly begging to turn wolfish and animalistic.

"Pixie. Zara." He speaks faster "Why to I smell pixie," Nick sticks his face in my hair again and I feel him breathe in. "All over you?"

I sigh and force myself to speak. "Nick I was tinked like you wouldn't believe." I step away from him and run my hands through my not-as-thick-as-I-would-like hair. "This awful pixie, maybe even pixie king, came out of nowhere! He pulled me aside after I started turning-" I cut short. Sociophobia, fear of social evaluation, or in my case, rejection. Is that what will happen if I tell Nick I turned blue? I feel my jaw set as I struggle to make a decision. Tell him and risk the Nick brand backlash? Or hide and wait for it to happen again? Ugh, I'm so indecisive.

"Zara," He looks at me intensely with those warm brown eyes." Started turning what?" I look down to see that his hands are trembling. One second passes but it seem to last for an eternity. I look from his hands to the ground suddenly angry that I was afraid to tell him what happened.

"Blue" I barely murmured. I look up just in time to see all the color drain from Nick's beautifully tanned face. He stops shaking and does deadly still.

"What?" He says it like a, like a_ disease_. He doesn't need to like pixies, but he _does_ need to accept that their blood is mixed with mine. No matter how much we don't want it, it cannot be ignored. Frustrated with the whole situation I draw on the sudden anger and throw it into Nick's stone like face.

"Blue!" I scream, and then toning it down a bit, I continue peaking with harsh clipped words. "Azure, sapphire, indigo, cerulean what ever you want to call it, that was me!" I start to feel eyes on us but I don't stop. "Can you not hear me? And that's not all that happened. He said he was going to take me and…and…" my words slow as the horror of that pixies words come back to me "Kill you. Nick he said that he was going to kill you." I started up at Nick, willing him to understand the severity of my words. I refuse to hide things from him. If he can't accept me, pixie blood and all, then it would be best to just get this over with. Then he goes and does something that startled me. Just one huge shudder goes rips through him and his eyes go blank.

"We need to go see Betty."

I just silently nod remembering again how bad Nick's reaction was when he learned about my dad. How is it going to affect things now that he knows my pixie genes are starting to manifest? My eyes slide down to the car.

"Nick, maybe I should drive you seem a little, um, tense." I feel like I'm walking on pins and needle with him now. The sound of my voice unfreezes him at least, but it breaks my heart when I see his eyes narrow just a bit. Not much but it's noticeable. Without a word he just turns and lops into the forest shivering from head to toe.

"Nick!" I call out, taking a step in his direction. It seems like so many things are pushing us apart, I can't stand it! I ghost my hands up and down my arms before stepping into the car.

"Well Yoko," I lean forward banging my head against the steering wheel feeling my eyes prickle with unshed tears. "At least he didn't out and out call me a pixie." But you know what? He didn't need to. His eyes said it all. And to be perfectly honest, I hated what they told me. I was going to make sure this drive home was a slow one.

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I unhurriedly roll Yoko into Betty's driveway. I don't see Nick's Mini Cooper, but that doesn't mean he's not here. After all, huge wolf paws work just as well, if not better, than clumsy tires in the shifting Main snow. I do see Issie's car though, which most likely means Issie and Devyn are here. I open up the door and stagger out, slipping on the icy ground. Closing the door behind me, I pause to stare up at the sky to center myself. It's that beautiful shade of gray that I love so much. There isn't a cloud in they sky and feels bottomless, like it goes on forever. Shaking my head I focus on the door and slowly but surely begin to walk. That's ridiculous, we know for a fact that the sky _isn't _bottomless, that it stops at some point, like I don't know space? Still. When I'm close to the door I take another peak skyward. The very nature of our world does make me wonder if there is stuff up there that we don't know about. After all, weres and pixies exist, that's proof right there that we aren't aware of everything. Suddenly the door smashes open and Issie's head pops out.

"Omg Zara! Finally you're here, we were beginning to think you had a accident or something!" Her hands clasp on to mine and begin to drag me inside. "Oh Zara why aren't you wearing a coat? You'll catch a cold like this." She says fussing about my hoodie. I give her a watery smile but my eyes are still locked onto the sky; I think I see something. The last thing I see before I'm pulled into the house is large, strangely lopsided bird struggle to clear the tree tops before regaining its balance and taking off out of sight. Just the sight of it me feel apprehensive. It was like no bird I had ever seen, even if I was only able to see a silhouette. What was it? Xenophobia, fear of the unknown.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay here is the next chapter… I feel so bad about not updating for such a long time and to tell you the truth I don't have an excuse for it. I mean I was busy, but not that busy. I just didn't want to write, and my plot bunnies fled for a long time and turned up elsewhere. I had ideas for an original piece but nothing for this. I have no idea how good this is, but I'm just happy I thought of something to write about again. I have noticed something. I don't really like Nick or Devlyn all that much. So keep that in mind when you look at how I write them. I won't slaughter their character, but I might magnify certain flaws. So here is it after over a year! Chapter 3 of Want. **

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I swallowed hard as I tried to look calmly into the eyes of the people present. I almost felt weak at the knees. Issie stood next to me, rubbing her arms as she gave me an attempt at a reassuring smile. Ah Issie. She's such a wonderful and loyal friend. For her sake I tried to smile back. But Devlyn and Nick did not look so open. And Gram was just unreadable. I had no idea which was worse; the overwhelming tension rolling off the boys, or Gram's blankness. It was like the difference between looking at a blank sheet and a great wall of 10pt text.

"So…" I started off. Good lord this was awkward. "I assume Nick told you what happened?"

"He did." came Devlyn's clipped response. The silence inside the room pressed down on me, twice as dense as the air. Suddenly Issie broke out and addressed the elephant in the room.

"Did you seriously turn blue? Like blue blue? For real?" She blurted out. Then she covered her mouth like she said something offensive, her hands clamped to her small face. I glanced at her and for some reason her outburst seemed to ease the tension of the room a bit. Maybe it was the honesty with which she asked the question. She wasn't looking for information to throw in my face, or for a reason to hate or fear me. She was just really truly curious.

"Yes" was my simple reply.

Finally Gram spoke, and I was relieved to finally see warmth in her eyes. Family accepted you no matter what. Even if we were not related by blood it didn't matter, family is so much more than just a luck of the draw genetic connection.

"From what Nick has told us you had a run in with a pixies immediately afterwards." She crossed the room to stand in front of me in full concerned grandmother mode. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you? What did he do to you?" she fired off as she checked me over, poking and prodding at skin that didn't seem to be mine anymore. It was a pixie's now. Cyanophobia. Fear of the color blue and all the evils that come with it.

"No he didn't hurt me. He grabbed me around the waist, tried to fish for information about my d- the pixie king" When did he become Dad? "And he… he…" I trailed off as a slow heat crept up the back of my neck. The kiss. How was going to say this in front of Nick? Obviously it didn't mean anything, the opposite in fact, but I was still a little nervous about how they were going to react.

"Zara…" Nick said warily "What happened?"

My eyes hit the floor.

"Hekissedmyneck" I mumbled, hardly louder than a whisper.

The three weres had no problem hearing as they started at me with a muted horror. Issie, the normal of the group the lucky girl, remained blissfully unaware.

"What happened?" she questioned rolling her neck with a crack.

"He kissed you?" Devlyn gasped before bursting into a flurry of action, making use of his new regained legs to run to fire place to grab the iron fire poker. Nick growled in warning at him but he hardly noticed as he offered the poker to me.

"Touch it." he commanded.

"What will that pro-" I started

"Just take it!" he yelled thrusting it into my hands. As soon as I touched it there was a collective intake of breath. But when I held it with no apparent signs of pain the room the broke into a sigh of relief. Nick wrapped an arm around me and just kissed me in front of everyone. I almost melted against him, my body (and hormones) responding without my mental consent, but a polite cough reminded me that there were many places you could kiss your boyfriend. In front if your grandma was not one of them. I gently pulled away and he hugged me fiercely.

"Thank God he didn't turn you." he whispered.

I awkwardly got the poker from between us and set it on the table next to us before disengaging the hug enough to guide us to the couch. When we sat down Issie and Devlyn joined us while Gram sprawled out in the armchair. They all looked so relieved.

I didn't have the heart, or the courage, to tell them that the iron burned. My hands felt raw and painfully sensitive to the lightest touch. I put them in my pockets to hide the damage. Nick turned to me, eyes filled with emotion when they had previously been blank. A small part of me was almost frightened by how quickly he could turn his emotions on and off.

"Zara I am so sorry." He looked at me with an uncanny resemblance to a kicked puppy. "I never should he responded the way I did. The whole thing just… really caught me off guard." I wanted to instantly accept the apology and seal the deal with a kiss later. But for once I was able to quiet my hormones and say what needed to be said.

"Nick my pixie side is always catching you off guard." I said tiredly, " I can't have you freaking out on me about something I can't control all of the time." I stood and Nick looked up at me lost as he pulled a hand out of my pocket and gave it a light squeeze.

"Zara…"

I gave him a weary smile and unsuccessfully tried not to flinch at the pain that shot up my arm at such minor contact. Nick, Issie and Gram didn't seem to notice, but I think Devlyn did. When I looked around the room Issie and Gram started back worried, but while Devlyn shared a similar expression, it was marred by the sharp narrowing of his eyes. He stayed silent though, most likely doubting what he had seen.

"I know Nick…" I withdrew my hand from his "I think I need to go for a walk." Nick suddenly shot up.

"You can't go for a walk by yourself! Not with the pixie loose, are you out of your mind?" Good point.

"Fine then. You're right so I'll go for a drive instead. And…" I hesitated, questioning if leaving the house all was a good idea. But when my hands throbbed again I knew that I had to go. I wouldn't be able to take a good look at them here, I needed some privacy. "I'll stay in the car. Deal?" Nick, who had been up in arms and protective seemed to soften just a bit, but he still seemed wary.

"Are you sure?" His doubt only strengthen mine but I knew I had to get away.

"Yeah." I replied "I need to think. I'm a big girl, I know not to leave the protection of my Yoko." Suddenly Grams spoke up.

"Zara don't go too far. We may have caught most of the pixies but if this king is running around there may be more." Her arms were crossed and she her lips were pressed in thin line. But I knew she wanted to give me some space. Besides. They couldn't watch over me forever. But just as I was giving her a nod Devlyn reached over for the fire poker again and held it up.

"Here. Take this. You were pretty good with it last time." I had to try my hardest not to groan.

'You have got to be kidding me…' I thought. But I pushed all of that to the back of my mind as I grabbed the poker, bemoaning the lack of a wooden, or at least non iron handle. But as I took it from him I noticed his eyes never left my face. He was looking for some kind of negative reaction. Some how I managed to smile brightly at him and say thanks as the iron sent wave after wave of agony through my right hand and up my arm. But I couldn't show that it was hurting me. When Devlyn stepped back with a look of approval on his face, I turned and quickly walked towards the door.

"Bye everyone" I called over my shoulder. Then in a softer tone "Bye Nick." And I just left. I wonder if this was yet another point where if I hadn't let my feelings get the best of me, I could have changed the outcome of things. When I got outside, I walked quickly to my car, making a show of looking for pixies in case they were watching me from the house. But truth be told, I wasn't thinking about pixies, I was thinking about getting rid of this infernal fire poker. When I finally got to Yoko after what seemed like hours, I threw it into the passenger seat with a huff of pain and backed out of the driveway, waiting to assess the damage until I was away from prying eyes. I drove a down icy roads as fast as I dared until I just couldn't take it any more. I pulled over and yanked my sleeve up.

"Oh my God" I whisper in disbelief.

My arm and hand was a horrible deathly white, but that wasn't even my main concern. My veins have always been somewhat visible, but nothing like this. Now they stood out, a harsh blue black against porcelain skin. This hand does not look human. It doesn't look pixie. It doesn't even look.. Alive… Hemophobia. Fear of blood. But what if the blood hasn't even been spilled? What if its your own blood you fear? Because no matter how fast you run you can never get away from yourself.

I moan as another wave of pain crashes through my arm. Is this what we have been doing to the pixies? Its indescribable and I'm only half pixie. How do they fight and speak through this? Half mad with agony, I lean over open the door. There's snow out there. It could help numb the pain. Anything to help. Fumbling with one hand, I finally manage to get the door open and collapse out, eagerly sticking my injured arm in the snow bank next to me, up to the shoulder. Sweet blessed relief. For an arm that looks so dead, it was awfully alive with pain. But as the snow numbed me I noticed my breaths were starting to turn quick and shallow as the pain branched from my shoulder, crawling across my chest as it worked its way to my heart, stabbing and pulsing within me. As the little strength I had left me and the cold arms of unconsciousness embraced me, I heard the crunch of snow and the touch of hands before I finally let the darkness take me.

* * *

"…did this to her"

"Herself…I foun-"

"… awake?"

I groggily open my eyes, head spinning with a migraine. Issie and Nick should know better than to be talking so loudly over me. Everything was so blurry. I couldn't see anyways and it was so bright, to I just let my eyes drift shut again. I felt a hand on my cheek and I instinctively leaned into it, feeling another hand guide me into a sitting position. Eyes still closed I pull the covers on me up. I was so warm and I felt so very very heavy. Moving seemed out of the question. But when a container was pushed to my lips, filled with some sort of pungent liquid, the smell alone began to wake me up.

"Drink this" A masculine voice urged.

My eye flutter open and I'm looking to pair of beautiful emerald eyes. My mouth falls open a bit. Nick doesn't have green eyes. Suddenly my limbs don't feel quite as heavy as I let out a piercing shriek and attempt to beat away the unfamiliar boy, sending the liquid flying.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" I scream at him as I try to move away. My hands sink into the plush surface I'm on hindering my progress. It's a bed. I'm on a bed with a boy I don't know. This is the start to every girl's nightmare. Aphenphosmphobia. Fear of being touched. I keep screaming as I give one more heave towards the edge of the massive bed, kicking and punching before weakly collapsing.

"My Queen!" A woman rushes over to my side and kneel with her head bowed "Are you okay?" The boy seated on the opposite edge of the bead leans over and grabs my arm, shooting her a wicked glare.

"I thought you explained the situation to her!" Her head snaps up, amber eyes wide before the quickly drops her head again.

"I- I did my King. I thought she was awake enough to understand and remember, but it appears as though I was mistaken." The boy sighed in obvious irritation and when he spoke again, his light accent began to sound familiar.

"You are dismissed Adenine. I'll call for you again when I require you assistance. "

"Yes milord." She stood and bowed to the two of us before leaving the room, softly closing the bronze handled door behind her. The boy unhappily watched her leave, propped up on one arm before slowly turning to me. I tried to pull away but that initial outburst seemed to have drained me of what little energy I had. He sighed again releasing me, running his hand through unruly blond hair and suddenly I knew who he was.

"You're the guy from the store," I whisper "In the parking lot." He hesitates before giving a slow nod before moving even further away from me. I sit up taller and clutch the covers to my chest, noting with relief that I still have all my old clothes one minus the hoodie, and that he is fully dressed as well. We stare at each other for a long moment in a tense silence.

"I found you passed out on the side of the road." he started out, his voice low and cautious "You had a severe case of Iron Poisoning and you're lucky that I found you in time." His already intense gaze sharpened "You could have died…" He starts to reach for me but then he drops his hand. "Zara you're still very weak right now, you need rest." As I turn his story over in my head I start to notice the spidery touch racing across my skin. Last time that happened was… with.. _**Him. **_And he had been…

"You're a Pixie aren't you." I blurt out pulling an Issie before clapping my hands over my mouth horrified at my lack of control. He just stares at me evenly.

"You already know I am Zara. Your blood can feel it can't it? You're body will always recognize one of its own." He looks away for a moment before turning back to me offering his hand. " My name is Astley" Deep breath "We are in an apartment complex that I have built for my pixies" I feel my brow furrow.

"You made the whole thing?" I ask ignoring his hand. He drops it and just shrugs. "My people need somewhere to stay away from humans and I need us together." I look at my lap running over my options. He doesn't seem to be intent on turning me for the time being. But it could be because I'm too weak to survive. He isn't someone I can trust, not by any means. But for now, I'm stuck and to be frank, he's a hell of a lot better than the other king I could have gotten stuck with so far. I cast him a sidelong glance and see that he is still staring at me. Life saver or not he's still a pixie, so I can never let my guard down. So long as I'm stuck here I might as well get some answers. So first things first.

"Did you… I mean.. while I was out," I look in his general direction and twist the sheets in my hands "You know…" I gazed over at him just in time to see him catch on and turn red before standing up to pace around the room, clearing his throat.

"Only to carry you here. I swear on everything I am as a king and on my people." I don't know if it was the clear eyes, my still being dressed, or his honest tone, but even if he is a king, I feel like he's telling the truth for some reason.

"Thank you." I saw stiffly realizing that I should be more polite and diplomatic "For saving me." He smiles thinly, wide rugged lips parting over even white teeth that shift into something sharper if I look too closely.

"I would never dare touch a woman that didn't want to me too" I wring my hands but I don't look away.

"I had to check." I continue to twist and curl my hands "I can't leave here can I?" Cleithrophobia, fear of being locked in an enclosed space. Astley was waiting for this question I could tell.

"You can once you have regained your strength, but not without protection." he answers.

"But I could call my friend. He's more than capable of protecting me. And I'm not exactly useless you know. "I insist. I figured it was best not to let him know that me and Nick were so close. Astley is being civil now, but there is no guarantee he will be later. Suddenly his foot steps slow and he gives me a quick smirk, with eyes slightly narrowed.

"Friend? I didn't realize you kissed your friends so freely. Tell me, is saving your life enough to make us friends?" Anger and a slight fear bubble up inside of me as he teasing air suddenly disappears. He's been spying on us! But he cuts me off before I can even start. "I'm afraid your wolf is a place where he can't protect you. Suddenly all I see is red. I stalk to the end of the bed and reach out, grabbing a fist full of his shirt.

"What did you do to him?" I mummer dangerously.

He gazes back impassively before easily removing my hands despite the fact I was doing my best to strangle him with he own shirt.

"You're even lovely when you're ill and furious" he says softly "But I had no hand in you wolf's fate." He digs around his black cargo pants impatiently, before finding and offering me a cell phone. " I think it would be best if you heard this from your friends. It would also ease their worries about your well being. He pauses for a moment before finishing gravely "You have been out for three days. And believe me, a lot has happened in a short amount of time."

I stare at him suspiciously before gingerly taking the phone from his hand and waiting.

"Privacy please?" I ask knowing that he will probably listen from the other side of the door. Doesn't matter, the appearance of being alone will make me feel better. He givers a curt nod of consent before leaving, snapping the door shut behind him. As soon as he leaves I fall apart and frantically dial Grams number, eyes wide and panicked. What's going on? Necrophobia. Fear of Death.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Huh. You know I hadn't realized I left it on cliff hanger even though I'm pretty sure we all know what happened. And I'm forgetting the characters personalities I need to read the books again haha. So if you guys see anything terribly out of character let me know! And I think I remember them naming the pixie that killed Nick in the book as Frank for some reason(totally unsure on that one), and I'm letting you know that I will not have an evil character named Frank. "Fear to speak my name! I am the darkest of evils and the greatest sinner of them all! I am evil overlord FRANK!"... Nuh uh. Nope. New name XD.**

* * *

I quickly punch in Gram's home number and clamp the phone to my ear hardly daring to breathe as I waited for an answer. The line is dead. I dial her cell. Straight to voice mail. My heart clenches and the room is starting to tilt as I call Nick, knowing that he'll always answer someone else's phone before he'll answer his own. But I need to know they're all okay. I can't rest until I hear every single one of their voices, and know they're safe and sound. On the last ring someone picks and I blubber into the phone with relief.

"Nick! Nick baby are you okay? Where's Grams, Issie and Devlyn? Is everyone okay?"

"… Muttboy isn't hear right now, but trust me it's not him you want to talk to" My heart stops clenching and decides to give up on me all together. I know that voice. That tone oozing with arrogance. God it's him.

"You… where is he! You tell me right now, where the hell is Nick!" I grind out furiously into the phone.

"You… you, oh that sounds so very common. Just like the name Nick. Why don't you call me Lucien hm? It's a privilege really. Few are allowed to call by name without punishment, but I could make an exception for my… queen to be."

"You dirty bast-"

"Such coarse language on a lady's lips is hardly becoming. But since you're so eager to know about your mutt I'll tell you. I kept my promise Princess, and he made it easy. Maybe he wanted to make the choice over whom to choose even easier than it already was?" He said tauntingly. "The mongrel hardly kept me entertained."

I gasp slowly catching onto his meaning. "Your… promise…" I repeat dumbly my mind going blank. I could hardly speak. He couldn't mean that promise. He had to have promised me something else. It just couldn't be that one. He spoke again, his smooth voice filled with malice.

"Yes my promise. I kept it down to the very last letter. Just fo-" I hung up. I stared at the phone like I didn't know what it was. And then I lost it.

"He kept it! He kept it!" I screamed and without restraint throwing the phone with a strength I didn't know I possessed. It smashed on the wall next to the door as Astley threw it open crushing it underfoot into even smaller fragments in his haste to reach me.

"Zara? Zara love who was that? And I'm sorry, I am so so sorry, there was nothing I could do!"

I curled up sobbing into a pillow. I couldn't even respond to his feather light touches and sounds of concern. All I knew was that monster slaughtered my boyfriend. He took him from me. I would never see his normally sharp eyes hazy after a kiss. Never feel his hands warm around mine again. I'll never hold him again and it's all Lucien's fault. Or maybe it's mine. Maybe if I hadn't left the house Nick would still be here. I could have kept him safe in the house. Should have, would have could have, but I didn't. And now he's gone from me forever. I feel Astley sit on the bed cautiously patting my shoulder in a graceless attempt to console me and the spidery feeling that accompanies his touch reminds me of who he is. Of who I am. A monster. I fling my arm back and push him away.

"Get away from me!" I snarl, my voice thick with tears "This is your fault! Almost everything that has gone wrong in my life he been because of pixies!" I sit up and face him more fully "What are you going to do to ruin me huh? That's all you guys ever do! Destroy everything you touch! You're wicked, all of you and I have your blood in my veins!"

Astley yanks his hand away from me like I was covered in iron and leaps up, handsome features covered with barely concealed hurt. The expression was just so… human, that had I not been blinded by grief, I would have realized how awful my words really were. But I was too far gone to even care. I stared up at him, a challenge in my eyes as I sought an outlet for my pain.

"Destroy?" Astley questions softly, "How quick you are to criticize. How dare you" He continues his voice still soft but with a cord of steel that hadn't been there before "judge every single pixie you will and every have met by the actions of a few." He gestured sharply towards the window. "Look out there! This world has far more pixies in it than you could hope to meet in 5 lifetimes, and yet you are so presumptuous as to think the worst of us. At the very least very few of us kill without reason. Your father didn't take those boys because he found the things he did to them enjoyable. It was born out of pure Need and nothing else.

And what of humans? I have yet to see any creature that could match the unrestrained cruelty that can be found in humanity. You have your rapists, murders, hunters that kill animals separating mother from young just for the fun of it and mount their corpses as a savage sort of trophy. They inflict pain and poison the world around them just because they can. I have seen my people suffer at their hands far more often than they have suffered at mine and yet I still see each human I encounter as a clean slate! How can you look down on us when the side of yourself you claim is just the same." He finished furiously. Slowly the tension that had built up in his shoulder left him leaving him looking as drained as I felt.

"True racism at its finest." He shook out his ash blond hair and gave me a long look filled with pity and the last fleeting traces of anger. Putting a hand to his forehead he sighed before casually pulling out another phone and tossing it to me. "Give your family another call. I'll return when both of our heads have." He strode out of the room with quick even strides before looking back at me "And I'm truly sorry for you loss, even if I've no reason to be. Death is never something to celebrate." He said softy his hand twitching towards his stomach again before he took the final step towards the door and snapped it shut behind him.

I was left sitting there my shock briefly overwhelming my mind. Me? Racist? No I can't be. I write letters for Amnesty International. I never hesitate to help anyone of any race.

'Anyone of any race? Or of any ethnicity for there is a difference. Would you ever help a fallen pixie?' a small part of me questions. I hug a pillow to my chest and think, really truly think. Have me, Nick and the others ever given the pixies a chance? How many times had Nick come home covered in a blood and a tired smile saying he took out a pixie he found? I always assumed they were deserving of their fate. That they had brought Nick's wrath down on themselves. Could it be that they were merely in the wrong place at the wrong time? Oh no. What if we've been killing them for what they were born as, not by their actions? And who were we to decide who lived or died like that? I curled around my pillow even more and a sob ripped its way out of my throat as the horrible realization of what we have been doing came down on me. When did our quest to protect ourselves become so twisted with such hypocrisy? Tonitrophobia. Fear of thunder. Coimetrophobia. Fear of cemeteries. Atychiphobia. Fear of being failure. My back stiffened as I felt another hand on my arm. I turned and through tear blurred eyes I saw another blond head with a decidedly feminine figure attached to it.

"It is Adanine my Queen" She spoke clearly and with an emotion I could not quite place. "Do not fret. You are so very young and we all make mistakes in our youth, some of them graver than others. Do not dwell on what you both said in anger for too long." She hesitated "While there was truth in what he said, I don't believe that was the right time, or the right way for him to say it. Please understand me when I say he never meant to hurt you." Her hand slid up my arm before lifting to tap me softly on the forehead. "Now please. Sleep. We will bring you to you loved ones."

Suddenly more overwhelmed than I had ever been before I fell under her spell and into a shallow sleep haunted by nightmares Nick's tanned face staring out of the dead body of the first pixie I ever killed. Ommatophobia. Fear of eyes

As soon as Astley left the room he slid down the wall opposite the door with a weary sigh. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. He was NOT supposed to lose his temper. Not at her. Not like this.

"My lord?"

Astley looked up into the concerned eyes of one of his best medics and a good friend. She inclined her head before examining him closely.

"Would you like me to ease her into sleep?" she tentatively asked.

Something burned in his chest at the thought of not being able to do it himself but he simply gave her a slow nod and watched her re-enter the room. He sat there staring at the door until Adanine returned shutting the door quietly behind her. She walked a few steps away before turning around.

"When would you like to take her to her humans?" She inquired.

'Ideally? Never.' He thought ruefully. She was far better off here, in the company of her king (with any luck) and their people. But he was never one to be cruel. Muspelheim would freeze over before he forced her into anything she didn't choose willingly. "As soon as she is well enough." He answered simply. He could have her stay a little longer under the guise of needing more rest, but he knew in her emotional state that it would not allow him to work his way through to her and win her favor. More than likely would just blow up in his face like it just did. Adanine nodded and paused for a moment before responding.

"Then we move in three days' time. I will leave the eagle boy a note." She snorted "He's been circling the forest for about two days now like he'll actually be able to see through our glamor. Do you require anything else?"

Astley just shook his head "No you're free to go. Just make sure she heals." She pressed two fingers to her lips before placing them over her heart and giving him a bow her bobbed golden hair swinging forward contrasting oddly again her blue skin. Astley groaned.

"What did I tell you about all the formalities? You are far too close to me to have to participate in such things." She just gave him a playful smile.

"But you're not just my friend you're my king! It's being respectful." she said shaking her head. She sobered up before shooting him a long concerned look. "But please don't think about the things you said to each other in there. It's been a stressful time for all of us. Don't take her words to heart." All Astley could do was frown.

"How can I not? You and I both know she meant every single thing she said. I can only hope she will be near reasonable once she wakes up. I know the loss of her wolf was harsh blow to her." He turned his head to stare moodily down the hall. Did it make him seem like a bad person if he said there was a good chance this pup's passing would make things easier for him in the long run? He was not glad the boy was dead, make no mistake of that; he would not wish the bloody death he endured on his enemies. It made him wince just thinking about it.

* * *

_Astley slowly crept though the silent forest in search of his queen's wolf. Despite their last encounter almost ending in Astley's death when the beast caught him off guard, he knew he needed to tell him where Zara was before he decided to kill one of his pixies for the information. He had been tracking Nick all day with the intent of leaving the message and taking off again, but he had lost him for the past hour or so. He was no coward, nor was he a stranger to battle, but Astley saw no reason in fighting when he didn't need to. Suddenly he heard the sounds of battle erupt in front of him, wild taunts interrupted by pained snarls. Astley sped forward just in time to witness the skirmish intensify. The pixie, Lucien, he realized from his distinctive fighting style born only from decades of practice was tearing into the wolf, silver tipped claws burning flesh with every touch. Astley could only watch in a mute shock as boy ducked a shot at his eyes before launching at Lucien, eyes alight with a fury beyond his years. He hit Lucien dead center and the two went rolling down a steep hill side, all writhing limbs and sharpened teeth. Astley froze only a second longer before he got a hold of himself and tried to leap down the hill after them and join the fray. Tried is the key word her because mid leap another body collided with his own from the side and slammed him into a tree so hard he swore he saw Asgard for a second._

"_A-a-a kingling. You have your own problems to worry about. Didn't anyone ever tell little boys not to leave home without their babysitters?"_

_Long thin hands with ashen blue gray skin wrapped around his throat and Astley's eyes watered as he stared into the face of his attacker._

"_F-Faren" He gasped. The pixie above him smiles and adds pressure to his neck._

"_The one and only" Astley grunts and with a surge of power he throws the fiery red head off of him and clutches his throat, furious at having been caught off guard so easily. This damn wolf was determined to get him killed one way or another._

"_.I.. I had you put to death for treason years ago. I saw them do it." Astley forces out. Faren stands up ideally examining his claws._

"_Well you know they don't make executioners like they used to." He bares his teeth "I guess if you wanted the job done right you would have had the guts to do it yourself. Too weak to even avenge your father's murder and here you are calling yourself king. If you had me be beheaded like everyone else rather than poisoned out of pity, you could have been sure I was really gone." Astley stood and scowled at the pixie he once looked at like a brother._

"_I'll fix that mistake you dirty __**traitor**__." Faren clapped his hands over his heart and staggered as though his words had a physical weight to them._

"_How you wound me! But don't you have a mutt to worry about?" As though on cue he heard a loud keening come from the foot of the hill._

_Astley's eyes widened as his head whipped over to where he had last seen Nick. He had to get over there. But he was careful never to totally let his attention wander from his opponent; Faren wasn't someone you could turn your back on. Without further words he lunged at Faren with intent to kill. Faren's eyes widened and as he scrambled backwards completely caught off guard. When Astley hit him Faren fell back and used Astley's momentum to boost him backwards over his head. Astley flipped and hit the ground feet first before spinning around just in time to parry Faren's blow. They grappled a moment before the red head saw a small opening and pulled his fist back sinking it into Astley's gut. But he had been ready for it. Without missing a beat he snagged Faren's hair and beat his fist into his face, scraping knuckles on his sharp teeth as the blow slid down his opponent's face. Faren reeled and quickly set his broken and bleeding nose as though he did it every day._

"_You've improved." Astley smirked._

"_You haven't." _

_Faren's face twisted into a childish scowl that seemed out of place on his face. _

"_You'll eat those words." _

_Faren lunged again claws sinking deep into Astley's shoulders. His face contorted in pain but he used their proximity to down Faren with a quick blow to the temple as hard as he could manage in so small a space. Knowing a hit like that could kill a human but would barely phase a pixie, Astley took advantage of the pause to kick his opponent into the tree. Faren crashed through the tree making it shudder on impact and great shards of wood dug into his body. Astley's blood was singing as he stood over the prone form of the man that changed his life forever. He had always regretted not ending Faren himself and here was a chance that he never thought he would get to set things right. He looked at his "brother's" form for a moment before frowning coming down from his battle high. Faren had always been an incredible fighter and that had been way too easy. Could it be that…_

"_You know… he told us… you always were… bad with glamours… though this was a damn good one." Faren wheezed before his image flickered and one of the pixies he hated the most in the world was replaced with unfamiliar pixie with non-descript chestnut hair._

"_Fooled you… and stalled you… you let the ghosts of your past… get to-"He never got a chance to finish. Astley took a stick and stabbed it through his heart, freezing that satisfied smile onto his face forever before turning and taking off through the woods. Damnit, he was such a fool! He should have known that wasn't Faren. The smile was wrong, his reactions were wrong, but most of all his fighting was wrong. He should have seen that pixie for the fraud he was. But Astley had been so caught up in living out his dream of finishing off his father's killer that he let himself get held up. He knew Faren was dead and he knew it; he seen his death himself, but a small part of him always wished he had personally finished the job. Astley felt like such a fool, and now he was afraid Nick would pay for his lack of self-control. With a panicked gulp of air Astley pushed his feeling on the matter to the side like he had been taught. He still had a job to do._

_As Astley leapt down the hill taking great frantic bounds he knew right away that something was horribly wrong. The forest was dead silent, not a single bird song to be heard. The whole place reeked of a blood and… death. When he reached the bottom he found Lucien crouched over Nick's still human form, wrist deep in the boy's stomach. As soon as Lucien looked up and saw Astley staring in horror, he slowly grinned before sawing his claws further up the were's torso. Nick opened his mouth in a silent wail as the sliver burned him inside out. With a wet sucking sound Lucien pulled his red gloved hand out and slowly licked each tip. His grin widened as he flicked bits of gore in Astley's direction, each finger moving in a slow deliberate motion._

"_Too late."_

* * *

**A/N: Holy guacamole! That was had to write. I have been dying for a chance to get someone to bring up Zara and co.'s double standard so I just figure out a way to get it in there. I hope that "Faren" popping up in the story didn't seem unnecessary; I needed something that would be serious enough to totally derail Astley and I know Astley is young so I thought "Why is he a king so young? His dad must be dead. And if he's dead, what if he was murdered and… hmmmm" I figure if you poison someone that leaves faking a death plausible you know? Cause they could just be in really deep sleep and have some inside connections… and you know, kings and always up for getting murdered ;). But the guy is really dead, I just needed something to mindscrew Astley long enough for Lucien to keep his promise. This isn't the last you'll hear of him though =) And shout out to teamastley101! They totally got me off my butt to get this chapter out 3. And bloody finger licking will be Lucien's thing. Why? Cause I think it's creepy and unsettling as hell and that's the kind of guy I want him to be. I shall continue the flash back in the next chapter. Don't be afraid to pm about the story, I respond pretty fast! Reviews and feedback make me and every other author verrrrrryyyy happy so click that button! Happy holidays! (late hahaha).**

**PS: I tried pretty hard to get this out kind of fast so PLEASE point out mistake and things that just don't plain make sense!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Whoooohooo! Finally got this baby written! I just sat down one day and got it out, Sorry it took me so long to do it! This is kind of short but I just stopped where it felt natural. Still a flashback but I skipped the italics. Tell me I'm not the only one who finds a age of italics a bit irritating to read sometimes?**

* * *

Astley stared at the bloody scene in horror taking a quick step away from the gore flicked in his direction.

"You… you did…" Astley swallowed hard and tried not to look at the boy's face, as the light faded from his eyes. He was a seasoned warrior and had seen, as well as committed, his fair share of cruelty but something here unsettled him more than he would care to admit. Lucien stood and gave him another smile.

"What's the matter kingling? Cat got your tongue? Or should I say…" his eyes slid down to the body at his feet "Were got your tongue?"

Astley inwardly cursed his silence but he still could not quite bring himself to speak. By the gods what was he going to tell his queen? That her pup got slaughtered on his watch? That he let the ghosts of his past get the better of him and this was the result? Astly automatically took a step towards Nick in the hopes of at least having a body to present to his queen when Lucien bared his teeth aggressively, the sharp points glinting in the waning light.

"Not so fast. You aren't taking the body. This one is slated for something special; haven't you heard Valhalla is short on weres? Apparently the cowards aren't running out to die battle like they used to."

Almost instantly Astley became aware of another presence high in the trees. His heart filling with dread he looked up in time to see a pair of eyes snap open and glower down at him red hot. He should have noticed her, should have known that damnable woman would be here to collect. After all she claimed _almost _every felled warrior around here.

_Thruth._

The Valkyrie drops through the trees with a grace the Astly had seen in few beings. She glances at Nick before hissing, her hair seeming to curl in on itself from an unseen wind.  
"Lucien you fool I told you to be careful! Such maiming… do you know how long he will take to heal?" She circles the boy one foot in front of the other before looking up again "Although I must say your fighting skills are remarkable. You will be a valuable addition to Odin's ranks soon enough yourself" She admitted with a twisted smirk.

Lucien only looked at her dryly "Don't bet on that being too soon I still have far too much let to do." He paused and leered at Astley "Far too much left to take."

Astley bristled at the insulation that he would ever let Lucien get his filthy hands on his queen to be before he turned to Thruth. "Please Valkyrie leave me the boy! Would you really want such an inexperienced fighter?" He took a breath to ready him for the harsh truth of his next statement "Look at how easily he was felled. He hardly has the makings of a true warrior" Thruth only raised an eyebrow.

"He had the makings of a warrior when I found him trying to wrest your organs from your body in the forest. You barely got away "she taunted "But if you really feel so strongly would you care to take his place? Valhalla is lacking in pixie kings."

Astley tried to ignore the burn of humiliation that comment brought up if only for Zara's sake. He knew that in the end she would rather have the body to grieve over than to let this… this… oversized bird take him to an afterlife in which he could never have his rest. He took another step forward.

"Leave him," he said quietly, demanding her obedience like the king he was.

Lucien only howled with laughter as Thruth blandly ignored the both of them bundling Nick to her chest like child.

"Fine time to find your backbone! Such determination… is it to be assumed that perhaps the wolf was not only Zara's?" his eyes glimmered in the light "Maybe he was shared between the two of you during those lonely nights?"

Astley's control snapped as he lunged for the Valkyrie in a desperate attempt to have something to take back to his queen. The woman leapt into the air with a snarl her black wings seeming to fill the forest as Lucien cut in front of the younger pixie. Faster than any human eye could see he grabbed Astley by the throat and brutally slammed him to the ground with a knee on his chest. Astley wheezed as his breath left him and clawed at his captor only to hear the flapping of wings grow fainter by the second. Blowing blond hair out of his eyes, he bucked under Lucien lifting him just enough to kick his captor away. Astley hardly felt the sting of Lucien's claws as they slid off his neck leaving bloody marks. He had to catch the Valkyrie. He had to. But he also had to fight his own battle. With a heavy heart he made his decision; there was no way he could turn his back on someone like Lucien in a last ditch attempt to retrieve a body of a boy, no of a were that not only tried to kill him but desired his queen no less. He wouldn't do it.

So he chose to focus completely on his opponent and wait for the next move.

Lucien scoffed at his narrowed eyes and flexed his red gloved hands.

"So that's it? You were hardly more entertaining than the pup, I was hoping you'd at least make a desperate flight after her. But I don't have time to play with you anymore I accomplished what I wanted." He sniffed at him with distain "I really hope that the next time we meet you're better than this. Because if things go as I plan you won't have a third time to make it up to me."

Astley looked at him with disbelief plainly written across his face "You did all of this to give the were to Thruth? Luring us out here, twisting people from my past, just to entertain yourself before you sacrificed him to Odin?" his silver eyes flashed with anger "I swear one day you are going to pay for all of these infantile games."

Lucien simply shrugged "Perhaps you need to be older before you can appreciate my flair for theatrics. Life is long and I get bored. But," he smirks "I get things done. Do keep an eye on Zara. You have a habit losing your things don't you?"

Astley took a step forward with balled fists and the intent to fight plain in his eyes but before he could retaliate the man was gone, leaving only sprinkling of dust of the forest floor to indicate that he was ever there at all.


	6. Discontinued

A/N I am sorry to say that any and all desire to continue this story has faded. I can't write a fanfic for a series I currently dislike. Thank you so much for taking time to read my story and be there as readers but I'm afraid the story ends here. I know how I planned to end it though, so if you are curious as to what a lose outline of the rest of the story would have been, feel free to pm me.

-Limited


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